Gifts and Tears
by three-colour-rainbow123
Summary: Naruto wakes up on his birthday feeling unloved and lonely. He wakes from his sadness to find that he has more than one friend who loves him dearly. One-shot! Enjoy!


**This Fan-Fiction is inspired by a picture I saw and fell in love with**.

 _I was balancing precariously on top of a ball. Probably a pretty weird thing to say right? But I was. And I was teetering madly. For some reason, I didn't want to touch the ground. But it couldn't be helped. Waving my hands about wildly, I attempted to stay upright, but failed as the ball rolled and sent me lurching towards the ground._

 _And it hurt. I lay on the ground as tears streamed down my cheeks and nursed my bruises with sobs. But suddenly, there was a gasp and a clatter as if someone had dropped something, and I was being gathered up in a gentle cuddle by a beautiful woman who shushed me and crooned until I stopped crying. It was then I realised that I was suddenly twelve years younger - my three year old self - and this red haired women with her beautiful blue eyes was my mother. I hugged her and began to sob again, this time not in pain._

 _She just smiled and stroked my hair with warm, motherly fingers._

I woke with a start, cuddling my pillow tightly. My penguin beanie lay askew on my head and I sat up groggily. Why did I dream of my mother? And how did I know that beautiful woman was my mother? I had often dreamt of her before I had met Iruka Sensei, but I hadn't dreamt of her at all lately.

I took a glance at the calendar and rubbed my eyes in surprise.

October 10. My birthday.

To be honest, birthdays weren't at all that special to me. To other children it was a day with their family and friends, being showered in love and attention. Unfortunately, none of that was for me. I sat on my bed in silence. I was the boy everybody hated and blamed for the destruction of the village and the deaths of their loved ones. I was the boy everybody had either avoided, or glared evilly at, since my birth. I hadn't managed to make friends until a couple of years ago, but still - I doubt they really care about me enough to remember my birthday.

I felt my face screw up, and the prickling in my nose was not going to go away any time soon. A choked sob tore itself from my throat and I clutched onto my hair.

No. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.

Another whimper broke free and I turned and slammed my face into my pillow, allowing myself a scream. My body shook with racked sobs and I felt the months of bottled up feelings break free from me.

I breathed heavily into my pillow, and the feeling of the tears moving down my face was… strangely relieving. But the heavy weight of my emotions attached itself to my back and refused to shift itself. And it was crushing me. I knew I just had to cry it out, and I opened my mouth to cry some more.

Until I realised. That weight on my back was not metaphorical. And it was hella heavy.

I looked up in surprise and sniffled. I craned my neck to see a large box, wrapped in dark blue wrapping paper and stripped with zig zag silver lines. And right on top was a big, pink bow. I sniffled again and smiled through my tears. Where had this come from? It was obviously for me, but who cared enough to make the effort? I eased the box off me, and untied the ribbon slowly. Hesitantly, I pulled off the wrapping and tugged off the lid of the box. And I gasped in surprise. Inside the box was not just one present.

The box was carefully packed with tons of gifts, each labelled by a different person.

I pulled out a hand made white T-Shirt from Sakura, sweetly labelled 'Dattebayo!'

There was a whole packet of silver shuriken from Sasuke.

A stack of books from Kakashi.

And the list of gifts kept going. Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Iruka, Old Man Ramen, Lee, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Choji, Temari, Gaara and all the other people I held close to my heart.

"Who knew I had the best friends in the world?" I muttered, wiping tears from my face.

"Aw, that's so sweet of you Naruto," came a voice, startling me badly. I whirled around in shock to see Kakashi Sensei lounging against my wall in amusement. He saw the tears on my face and looked slightly sad before giving me his bright closed-eye smile.

"K-Kakashi Sensei?" I stuttered, heart beating wildly from my fright.

"The one and only," he said. "Happy Birthday."

Suddenly I was just extremely happy, and though the tears were pouring down my face I gave him my most ecstatic smile.

"Oh and one more surprise, Naruto," Kakashi said with his famous eye twinkle. I could tell he was smiling from behind the mask, as he ushered me out onto the balcony. I was puzzled, curious and excited as I climbed onto the balcony and looked over. And felt the warmest feeling spreading through my chest and through my body. I recognised the feeling. Love.

Because there, below me, stood everyone precious to me. There were at least fifty people grinning up at me and I wiped a stray tear from my cheek, suddenly feeling a massive rush of affection for them all that would put Kurama's chakra to shame. They smiled up at me and with one big voice, cried, "Happy Birthday Naruto!" They all looked genuinely happy, and I didn't see a hint of the faces I'd experienced all through my childhood of contempt, hatred and rage.

I desperately held back the prickling behind my eyes. Didn't want them to see me cry any more than I already had. I prepared myself and leapt from the balcony, down into the arms of the waiting crowd which were my friends.


End file.
